I spotted these on my blog reader and pinned them late one night last week. I am always on the look out for yummy breakfast recipes especially over the holidays. These are perfect because I can make them a little later in the morning and they will tide us over till late lunch. Holidays in our hosue are always filled with two girls asking on the hour what can we eat!

I don't know about your family but honestly mine drives me crazy with the what can we have to eat during holidays . I know of some families who pack lunch boxes and say that's it. I have seriously thought about it but to be honest I like a good snackage too!

Now that the umm christmas shortbread ( so not clean even though I made it myself - that makes it kind of clean right?) is gone, it's time to start searching up some new yummy healthy stuff to keep my two munching girls happy. On our to try list is

Do you struggle with timing of ripe bananas for baking ( I know first world problems! ) ? But really it's tricky - letting them get brown enough and then baking with them at the right time- without having your husband throw them out because they have gone brown.

I have found the solution... and it's so simple and so fabulous. I'm really actually very excited.

You take your bananas - leave them in their skins - pop them in them oven on the lowest setting and they turn brown! Depending on how brown you want them and how ripe they already are it will take between 15 minutes to 45 minutes tops.

Take them out of their skins and leave to cool for a little bit before using them in your recipes. I did this last night and made the yummiest banana bread ready for lunches boxes. My two bananas went from that level of yellow to the brown in 20 minutes.

I haven't tried this one but I will be -It uses oats and yoghurt. I'll be cleaning it up by substituting the flour for wholemeal or a combo of spelt coconut almond flours and leaving out the sugar adding some honey and swapping the canola oil for macadamia oil instead.

No waiting for bananas to over ripen anymore! I can't wait to try out a heap of banana recipes :)

Place the strawberries and honey in a bowl and mash until lightly crushed.

Mix through the coconut milk and skim milk.

Mash again. If you would like a less chunky amount of berries then use a stick blender to blend until you liek the consitancy. I like mine still quite chunky.

Pour into ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers instructions.

NOTES

If you don't have an ice cream maker - pour into a container and place in the freezer. After an hour mix it again and refreeze. Repeat. The more you do this the more creamy and less icy it will be.

Optional - add in 75 grams of chopped dark chocolate after you have churned it.

Makes about I.4 litres - 10 serves

Nutritional Good Points - This is low in Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a very good source of Vitamin C and Manganese.

Disclaimer - Nutritional info provided is to be used as a guide only. The calculations are based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and utilize statistical averages. Nutrition may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients, substitutions etc.

At boost juice they have these really yummy chocolate protein balls rolled in coconut for $1.50. I love them. They are the perfect sweet treat without being too sweet. I have been however googling for the recipe or at least the ingredients list to no avail.

But the lovely Lisa Pate shared her protein ball recipe with me over on her facebook page. You can see it here.

I didn't have quite the same ingredients and wanted to make them right then and there so here is my take on hers.

***** If you don't have protein powder or don't use it then substitute for skim milk powder. It has a good amount of calcium and protein and will do the trick nicely.

At the age of 40 I bought my very first two pieces of cast iron cookware - you know the dishes that can go straight on your stove top and then into the oven? I have seen them forever and every time I go to cook a casserole I think I should look for some. Last winter I did that but the prices put me off- Kmart had some but only in red and they started at about $25 for a smallish one from memory. Target ones started at about $60. Then two weeks ago in the Aldi catalogue I spotted these Crofton ones. $19.95 and $14.95 for the two with lids on. I also managed to get a cast iron trivot for $7.99. As of yesterday in our local Aldi there were still some casserole dishes left. They come in different colours too - cream red and blue. I bought the cream.

Since then I have turned into a casserole making fool. I love that I can do all the prep in one dish and then throw in the oven while the girls are doing their homework - an hour or so later all good to go with some rice couscous or quinoa and steamed greens.

These are my top three recipes ( all from taste.com.au with some changes LOL )

Heat oil in casserole dish. Add chicken. Cook for 2 minutes each side or until golden. Remove to a plate.

Add fennel, thyme and garlic. Cook until soft. Add 1/2 cup of stock and mustard. Cook for 3 minutes. Add sweet potato and rest of stock. Bring to the boil. Return chicken to dish. Cover and place in a moderate oven for 50 minutes.

Add evaporated milk and return to a hot plate. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes (do not return to the boil as sauce might spit). Stir in caramelised onions. Serve.

When we returned from the Sunshine Coast we stopped off for some jam grade strawberries. I had no clue how to make jam but the thought of fresh jam sounded really good.

1kg of strawberries for $5 and I figured I couldn't go too wrong. Then I mentioned to a friend my plans. Oh good luck she said. I remember Mum trying to make jam and it never set. I thought eek set ? really? This could be a disaster.

I started googling about sterilizing jars and what not. Stressing again ( I swear I never used to get anxious like this ! ) I wondered what on earth I was thinking.

Anyhow I had the strawberries so jam making commenced.

Someone mentioned in one of my comments about jam making sugar ( thank you! ) and I found that at woolies along with some jam jars.

I chopped up the strawberries added in the sugar put it on the stove - mushed it up with a masher just a little bit. 1 kg fruit 1 kg sugar - eeek

I placed a saucer in the fridge for me to try the setabilty ( no such word I don't think LOL ) of the jam. Once the sugar was dissolved I bought it to a slow rolling boil for 4 minutes- dropped some on the cold saucer - it didn't run much so I figured that would be ok.

I poured boiling water into my jars and them popped them in the oven for 10 minutes.

I skimmed the froth off the top of the jam then I poured the hot jam into the jars, put the lids on (I soaked them in boiling water too) and turned them upside down for five minutes. I left them on the bench to cool then popped them in the fridge.

The next morning I checked and FAR OUT it worked. I have (had) three jars of the most delicious jam ever. I am a bit dubious as to whether I have sterilised the jars for keeping so I have given some to the neighbours.

If anyone has advice on that I would love to know but really I'm quite happy to make three jars at a time - eat one give two away. So good - give it a try!

On the weekend Talia baked some biscuits but she didn't cream the butter and sugar first and they turned out a right royal mess. Yesterday Anna tweeted about her choc chip cookies. Then today I found this recipe I can't remember how but it appeared on my screen and I decided that all the stars were aligning and I had to make biscuits.

The only problem was that these ones called for toffee bits. We don't have those here. I tweeted with Katrina from Windsor Deli and she suggested that I use peanut brittle - great idea but I had already left to get the ingredients.

Instead I came home with Nestles new caramel bits. OH my don't buy them they are too good. You'll want to eat them staright from the packet then you'll have nothing left for biscuits.

Fortunately I didn't know that until after I had added them to my recipe. Even better the recipe only calls for half a cup so that leaves plenty left over.

I highly recommend this recipe - simple to whip up - you should have the ingredients in your cupboard minus the caramel or toffee or whatever bits you want to add.

I substituted flaked almonds ( and I didn't bother toasting them first ) and I used the caramel bits, Uncle Tobys instant oats and SR flour rather than plain with baking powder and mine worked perfectly.

Yummy - crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. I also made a pan of James' Cinnamon scrolls. After not baking for some time the girls will think they have come home to the wrong house this afternoon.

Have you been baking during this cooler weather?? Im trying to be good and stick to my whole food style of eating but every now and then you just have to break out and today was one of those days.

My head is spinning with all that is still to come so I'm just taking everything very slowly. Though as usual my version of slow and my surgeons are slightly different. I had my knuckles wrapped yesterday so am slowing again.

In terms of surgery two more tumours were found in the left side that had grown since the pet scan two weeks ago. I knew about one - I had felt it and asked them to show me the spot on an ultra sound. The fourth was a surprise.

Yeterday I went back to my surgeon for a check up - he is not thrilled with how one side is knitting so I may have to go back in to get it sorted I will know Friday.

Tomorrow I meet with my haematologist and also go to have my port flushed they decided not to take it out.

Tuesday I am back to the onologoist - he wants to talk more options now that these latest tumors have appeared.

Trying tiring days. Wishing that time would pass quickly but also slowly.

I'm breaking my days down into manageable pieces and not looking back on the what I used to do. I'm not even thinking about what I might be able to do soon anymore.

Last week Mel posted her yummy looking coffee cake recipe. It reminded me that I have a great coffee cake recipe that I haven't made forever so when I had to add something else to our dessert line up for our BBQ I dug up the recipe. I love it because it's a throw it all in and mix one. You can't go wrong.

3 eggs separated

3/4 cup castor sugar

100ml oil

1 3/4 cup SR flour

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tspn instant coffee

1 tbspn water

1/2 cup of chopped nuts - any pecan, brazil, walnut your choice.

1/2 tsp salt

Method

Whip your egg whites until stiffened

Dissolve the coffee in the water

In a bowl add all the ingredients except the egg whites and nuts. Mix until combined - about 90 secs with an electric beater.

Fold through the nuts and egg whites.

Pour into two prepared round 18cm tins. Bake for 30 minutes.

Icing - 2 cups of icing sugar, 2 tablespoons of softened butter or margarine, 1 tsp of coffee dissolved in 1 tbspns of water. Mix together and sandwich half the mix between the two cooled cakes. Ice the top and decorate with chocolate chips.

It's a shame Mel and I don't live in the same state or we could have a Coffee Cake Bake Off and invite you all to come be the judges :)

Welcome to my blog, I am so happy you came to visit. I share the stories of my life creating, documenting and loving as a Mumma to twin girls. I am navigating a clean eating lifestyle as I run towards being a breast cancer survivor.